Ye Xian, the Chinese Cinderella · chapter 5 of 5
The King's Search
国王在找她
Far across the sea, a young king holds a golden shoe so small that no girl in his kingdom can wear it. He sets sail to find its owner.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 大海的那边，有一个陀汗国。一天，陀汗国的国王拿到了一只金鞋。
Dàhǎi de nàbian, yǒu yí gè Tuóhàn Guó. Yì tiān, Tuóhàn Guó de guówáng nádào le yì zhī jīn xié.
Across the sea lay the kingdom of Tuohan. One day, a golden shoe came into the hands of the king of Tuohan.
- The king 这只金鞋，是一个山里人卖给我的。它像羽毛一样轻。
Zhè zhī jīn xié, shì yí gè shān lǐ rén mài gěi wǒ de. Tā xiàng yǔmáo yíyàng qīng.
A man from the hills sold me this golden shoe. It's as light as a feather.
- The king 你们看，把它放在石头上，一点儿声音也没有。
Nǐmen kàn, bǎ tā fàng zài shítou shang, yìdiǎnr shēngyīn yě méiyǒu.
Look: when I set it down on stone, it doesn't make a sound.
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Ye Xian, the Chinese Cinderella is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- The king 我们国家的女孩子都试过了，没有一个人能穿上。它的主人到底是谁？
Wǒmen guójiā de nǚháizi dōu shì guo le, méiyǒu yí gè rén néng chuān shàng. Tā de zhǔrén dàodǐ shì shéi?
Every girl in my kingdom has tried it on, and not one could wear it. So who can its owner be?
- The king 我要坐船过海，去那边的山里找她！
Wǒ yào zuò chuán guò hǎi, qù nàbian de shān lǐ zhǎo tā!
I'll sail across the sea and search those hills for her!
- Narrator 国王来到了山下的海边。山里的女孩子一个一个来试，可是谁也穿不上。
Guówáng láidào le shān xià de hǎi biān. Shān lǐ de nǚháizi yí gè yí gè lái shì, kěshì shéi yě chuān bu shàng.
The king came to the shore below the hills. One by one, the girls of the hills came to try on the shoe, but none of them could get it on.
- The king 还是不行……还有别的女孩子吗？
Háishi bù xíng… Hái yǒu biéde nǚháizi ma?
Still no one… Are there any other girls?
- Ye Xian 国王，还有我。我可以试一试吗？
Guówáng, hái yǒu wǒ. Wǒ kěyǐ shì yi shì ma?
Your Majesty, there's me, too. May I try?
- Stepmother 叶限？你穿着这么旧的衣服，还想穿金鞋？
Yè Xiàn? Nǐ chuānzhe zhème jiù de yīfu, hái xiǎng chuān jīn xié?
Ye Xian? In those old rags, you want to try on a golden shoe?
- The king 让她试一试。
Ràng tā shì yi shì.
Let her try.
- Narrator 叶限把脚放进金鞋里。不大也不小，正好。
Yè Xiàn bǎ jiǎo fàng jìn jīn xié lǐ. Bú dà yě bù xiǎo, zhènghǎo.
Ye Xian slipped her foot into the golden shoe. Not too big, not too small. It fit perfectly.
- The king 正好！就是你！
Zhènghǎo! Jiù shì nǐ!
It fits! You're the one!
- Ye Xian 请等我一下。另一只金鞋，在我家里。
Qǐng děng wǒ yíxià. Lìng yì zhī jīn xié, zài wǒ jiā lǐ.
Please wait for me a moment. The other golden shoe is at my house.
- Stepsister 妈，你看！翠鸟羽毛的衣服，一双金鞋……那个女孩子真的是姐姐！
Mā, nǐ kàn! Cuìniǎo yǔmáo de yīfu, yì shuāng jīn xié… nàge nǚháizi zhēn de shì jiějie!
Mom, look! The kingfisher-feather cloak, a pair of golden shoes… that girl really was my sister!
- Stepmother 这……这怎么可能？
Zhè… zhè zěnme kěnéng?
How… how can this be?
- The king 姑娘，你真美，好像天上来的人。你的衣服和金鞋，是从哪儿来的？
Gūniang, nǐ zhēn měi, hǎoxiàng tiān shang lái de rén. Nǐ de yīfu hé jīn xié, shì cóng nǎr lái de?
Young lady, you're so beautiful, as if you'd come down from the sky. Where did your cloak and your golden shoes come from?
- Ye Xian 是我的鱼给我的。它是我最好的朋友。后妈吃了它，可是它的骨头还在帮我。
Shì wǒ de yú gěi wǒ de. Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou. Hòumā chī le tā, kěshì tā de gǔtou hái zài bāng wǒ.
My fish gave them to me. It was my best friend. My stepmother ate it, but its bones are still helping me.
- The king 你愿意跟我回陀汗国，做我的王后吗？
Nǐ yuànyì gēn wǒ huí Tuóhàn Guó, zuò wǒ de wánghòu ma?
Will you come home with me to Tuohan and be my queen?
- Stepsister 王后？姐姐要做王后了？
Wánghòu? Jiějie yào zuò wánghòu le?
Queen? My sister is going to be a queen?
- Ye Xian 我愿意。小鱼，你听见了吗？我们一起去大海的那边吧。
Wǒ yuànyì. Xiǎo yú, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Wǒmen yìqǐ qù dàhǎi de nàbian ba.
Yes, I will. Little fish, did you hear? Let's go across the sea together.
- Narrator 叶限带着鱼骨头，上了国王的船。后妈和妹妹站在海边，看着船越走越远。
Yè Xiàn dàizhe yú gǔtou, shàng le guówáng de chuán. Hòumā hé mèimei zhàn zài hǎi biān, kànzhe chuán yuè zǒu yuè yuǎn.
Ye Xian took the fish bones and boarded the king's ship. Her stepmother and stepsister stood on the shore, watching it sail farther and farther away.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How did the king get the golden shoe?
“这只金鞋，是一个山里人卖给我的。”
- What is strange about the golden shoe?
“它像羽毛一样轻。”……“把它放在石头上，一点儿声音也没有。”
- What happens when the girls of the hills try on the shoe?
“山里的女孩子一个一个来试，可是谁也穿不上。”
- What does the king say when Ye Xian comes back in her cloak?
“你真美，好像天上来的人。”
- What does Ye Xian take with her onto the king's ship?
“叶限带着鱼骨头，上了国王的船。”